1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for modifying taught positions in an operation program of a robot prepared by an offline programming system.
2. Description of Related Art
A program for machinery such as robot is sometimes prepared, using an offline programming system, on the basis of three-dimensional models of a robot, peripheral equipments, a workpiece as an object of operation, etc. Such a program ordinarily entails a considerable error of a programmed motion path with respect to a desired motion path. To reduce the error, a distal end of an operation tool or a position correction tool attached to a robot is sequentially positioned at operation points on the desired motion path (for example those on the workpiece), to detect coordinate values of these operation points in sequence, and the program is corrected using the coordinate values. When there is still a considerable error between taught points in the corrected program and the actual operation points, a further detection of operation points is made to further correct the program based on detection results.
As mentioned above, in addition to the offline programming, the detection of actual operation points at the worksite and the correction of the program prepared offline to reflect detection results are carried out for the preparation of the complete robot program.
However, three-dimensional models of robot, workpiece, etc. used for the offline programming entail a layout error with respect to an actual layout of robot, workpiece, etc., requiring the increased labor and time to correct the program. In this respect, use of three-dimensional models having the same layout as the actual one is effective, but such three-dimensional models require much labor to prepare. In addition, even if the program is prepared using such three-dimensional models, the detection of operation points and the correction of program must still be made. Thus, the complete operation program for machinery such as robot cannot be prepared with ease in a short time.